My verdict? I’m hooked. Yes, it is a cheesy soap opera, sort of Dallas meets denim. Some of the actors need a dialogue coach. And some of the details are off-kilter: There has never been a night at the Bluebird Cafe when they ran out of wannabe songwriters to come to the stage, as the show portrays.

But Nashville looks like Nashville — beautiful. There are sparkling skyline shots, views of the Cumberland River, Opryland hotel, the Titans Stadium and the Grand Ole Opry stage. Best of all, there’s nary a honky-tonk. Instead of the stereotypical camera views of lower Broadway, they shot a scene in the Hermitage Hotel’s Capitol Grille. There is one mention of Tootsiesand a lone sighting of a Loveless Cafe T-shirt.

Del McCoury is an extra in it. The music is flat-out enjoyable. They shot a scene in the Capitol’s historic Supreme Court room.

Mayor Karl Dean has been a key consultant with the screenwriters, producers and one actor.

“I spent an hour or two walking down around the river with the actor playing the man who is going to run for mayor,” Dean said.

Which probably explains one scene, which made me hoot, where the conniving kingmaker stands on the old Thermal Plant site downtown and bemoans the lack of a new baseball stadium. Sound familiar?

Dean said the big thing for him is all the attention the show is drawing to Nashville, where tourism is a top business.

Early reviews

What do early viewers think about “Nashville” on Facebook?

“Nefarious politicians and music as a business and local venues and the sweet sound of a new young talent. I want the album!” said Kathleen McEnerney, a local hiker.

“I saw it and am disappointed,” said Nashville artist Nancy Beardsley. “I was really looking forward to it, but it just falls shorts. The story and acting seemed sort of flat.”

Alan L. Mayor, who said he was in the music industry for 40 years as a photographer, said the show is “worth watching. So far, so good.”

The plot line is two-fold. First, beautiful-but-aging country songstress Rayna Jaymes is facing floundering album sales and lousy tour ticket response. Her record label, led by a mean, out-of-town boss, wants her to be the opening act for young top-hit wonder Juliette Barnes, who appears to be a darling onstage but is a conniving, bratty slut in reality. Meanwhile, Rayna’s Daddy, the rich industrialist, talks her husband (who went broke in the economic bust) into running for mayor.

There are cringe-worthy moments: “I’m not ready to hang up my rhinestones yet,” Rayna says. Ugh. And Rayna’s dad to her husband: “I believe in your destiny. Do you?” Oh, please.

But overall, what’s not to like? Music, politics, zingers between singers. “Nashville,” the TV show, is as addictive as Nashville, our hometown.

Gail Kerr’s column runs on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. She can be reached at 615-259-8085 or gkerr@tennessean.com.